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2020年招收攻读硕士学位研究生入学考试试题（B卷）
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学科、专业名称：翻译硕士专业
研 究 方 向： 英语笔译
考试科目名称： 翻译硕士英语 考试科目代码：211
|考生注意：所有答案必须写在答题纸（卷）上，写在本试题上一律不给分。 |
|I. Vocabulary & Grammar (30%) |
|Directions: There are 30 sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. |
|Choose ONE answer that best completes the sentence. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet. |
| |
|1. Rescue teams from all over the world ______ on the earthquake-stricken area after the news spread that the quake |
|had claimed a toll of 15000 lives. |
|A. diversified B. disseminated C. converged D. accelerated |
| |
|2. Without Bob’s testimony, evidence of bribery is lacking and ______ in the case will be impossible. |
|A. verdict B. sentence C. conviction D. acquittal |
| |
|3. The two countries have developed a ______ relation and increased a great deal in foreign trade. |
|A. managerial B. lethal C. metric D. cordial |
| |
|4. Any person who is in ______ while awaiting trial is considered innocent until he has been declared guilty. |
|A. jeopardy B. custody C. suspicion D. probation |
| |
|5. The snow_____ my plan to visit my aunt in the countryside. |
|A. confused B. bewildered C. conversed D. hampered |
| |
|6. It is imperative that students _____ their term papers on time |
|A. hand in B. would hand in C. have to hand in D. handed in |
| |
|7. He is not under arrest, ______ any restriction on him. |
|A. or the police have placed B. or have the police placed |
|C. nor the police have placed D. nor have the police placed |
| |
|8. Mary is _______ than Alice. |
|A. more experienced a teacher B. a more experienced teacher |
|C. more an experienced teacher D. more experienced teacher |
| |
|9. The trumpet player was certainly loud. But I wasn’t bothered by his loudness ______ by his lack of talent. |
|A. so much as B. rather than C. as D. than |
| |
|10. Please don’t ______ too much on the painful memories. Everything will be all right. |
|A. hesitate B. linger C. retain D. dwell |
| |
|11. Participants in the Shanghai Co-operation Forum ______ regional teamwork to promote investment and economic development. |
|A. cursed B. echoed C. bounced D. hailed |
| |
|12.The 1982 Oil and Gas Act gives power to permit the disposal of assets held by the Corporation, and ______ the Corporation's |
|statutory monopoly in the supply of gas for fuel purposes so as to permit private companies to compete in this supply. |
|A. defers B. curtails C. triggers D. sparks |
| |
|13. The slogan "What goes up must come down" was so universally accepted by economists that it was considered a(n)______ |
|A. conjecture B. axiom C. fad D. testimonial |
| |
|14. After four years in the same job his enthusiasm finally ______. |
|A. deteriorated B. dispersed C. dissipated D. drained |
| |
|15. He has ________ strange hobbies like collecting bottle tops and inventing secret codes. |
|A. gone on B. gone in for C. gone with D. gone through with |
| |
|16. In 1791 RC, one of the wealthiest plantation owners in Virginia, stunned his family, friends, and neighbors by filing a deed |
|of emancipation, setting free the more than 500 slaves who were legally ___________ his property. |
|A. considered B. considered as C. considered to be D. considered for |
| |
|17. While some propose to combat widespread illegal copying of computer programs by attempting to change people’s attitudes toward|
|pirating, others suggest reducing software prices to ____________ for pirating, and still others are calling for the prosecution |
|of those who copy software illegally. |
|A. increase the incentive B. increase the punishment |
|C. decrease the incentive D. increase the punishment |
| |
|18. The federal government subsidized bank loans to mass production builders of suburbs everywhere in the country on condition |
|that those builders ________ no homes to African-Americans. |
|A. sold B. sell C. have sold D. had sold |
| |
|19. A recent study of ancient clay deposits has provided new evidence __________ the theory that global forest fires ignited by a |
|meteorite impact _________ to the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other creatures some 65million years ago. |
|A. to support ...... contributed B. supporting ...... contributed |
|C. to support ...... contributing D. supporting ...... contributing |
| |
|20. According to his own account, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, modeled the face of the |
|statue _________ his mother and the body _________his wife. |
|A. for that of ...... for that of B. for that on ...... for that on |
|C. after that on ...... after that on D. after that of ...... after that of |
| |
|21. A huge flying reptile that died out with the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, the Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 36 |
|feet, ________ to have been the largest flying creature the world has ever seen. |
|A. what is believed B. that is believed |
|C. which is believed D. and it is believed |
| |
|22. Because new small businesses are growing and are seldom in equilibrium, formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity|
|do not apply to ______ in the same way ____ to establish big businesses. |
|A. it ...... Φ B. it ......as C. them ...... as D. them ...... Φ |
| |
|23. Neanderthals had a vocal tract resembling an ape’s ____________ probably without language, a shortcoming that may explain why |
|they were supplanted by our own species. |
|A. and so were B. and such was C. and so was D. and such were |
| |
|24. He had lived his life thus far as a sort of ________ obedient pet - first to his mother and father, then to his wife. Whit had|
|always done what others had wanted him to do, not what he wanted. |
|A. atrocious B. baroque C. affable D. arrogant |
| |
|25. In the 1960s, even as liberal thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr. ________ a minimum income for moral reasons, conservatives|
|like Richard Nixon considered it on practical grounds. |
|A. censured B. championed C. conceited D. confronted |
| |
|26. The stimulator was proven to be effective but not _______: It could reduce tension and pain, improve mood, and marginally |
|boost memory. |
|A. mischievous B. miraculous C. momentous D. minatory |
| |
|27. The word “race” conjures biology, a set of inheritable --- and ________ --- physical characteristics. But it's actually a |
|cultural and social category, not a biological one, which is why it changes over time. |
|A. changeable B. impeccable C. immutable D. impenetrable |
| |
|28. With his _______ yet gracious manner, Jon had helped them find a good neighborhood for their family, introduced them to his |
|banker, and even explained some of the odd American colloquialisms they couldn't understand, as they all laughed together over |
|well-aged bottles of his favorite Bordeaux. |
|A. grandiose B. gullible C. grotesque D. gregarious |
| |
|29. Virtue is useful in every country, in every time, in all peoples; wherever one finds humans, virtue is _________ because no |
|one fails to sense its usefulness |
|A. eternal B. estimable C. ethereal D. exquisite |
| |
|30. Two of his grandchildren implore him to _________ another journey. The city where they live is threatened by a plague. |
|A. embark on B. embark for C. embark at D. embark of |
| |
|II. Reading Comprehension (40%) |
|Directions: This part consists of six passages followed by a total of 30 multiple-choice questions and 5 short-answer questions. |
|Read the passages and write your answers on the Answer Sheet. |
| |
|Passage 1 |
| |
|The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history, one of those awful events that everyone agrees |
|must never be allowed to happen again. This urge is understandable and noble: thousands have lost virtually all their retirement |
|savings with the demise of Enron stock. But making sure it never happens again may not be possible, because the sudden |
|impoverishment of those Enron workers represents something even larger than it seems. It’s the latest turn in the unwinding of one|
|of the most audacious promise of the 20th century. |
| |
|The promise was assured economic security －even comfort － for essentially everyone in the developed world. With the explosion of|
|wealth, that began in the 19th century it became possible to think about a possibility no one had dared to dream before. The fear |
|at the center of daily living since caveman days－ lack of food warmth, shelter－ would at last lose its power to terrify. That |
|remarkable promise became reality in many ways. Governments created welfare systems for anyone in need and separate programmes for|
|the elderly (Social Security in the U.S.). Labour unions promised not only better pay for workers but also pensions for retirees. |
|Giant corporations came into being and offered the possibility －in some cases the promise－ of lifetime employment plus |
|guaranteed pensions. The cumulative effect was a fundamental change in how millions of people approached life itself, a reversal |
|of attitude that most rank as one of the largest in human history. For millennia the average person’s stance toward providing for |
|himself had been “Ultimately I’m on my own”. Now it became “ultimately I’ll be taken care of”. |
| |
|The early hints that this promise might be broken on a large scale came in the 1980s. U.S. business had become uncompetitive |
|globally and began restructuring massively, with huge Layoffs. The trend accelerated in the 1990s as the bastions of corporate |
|welfare faced reality. IBM ended its no-layoff policy. AT&T fired thousands, many of whom found such a thing simply |
|incomprehensible, and a few of whom killed themselves. The other supposed guarantors of our economic security were also in |
|decline. Labour-union membership and power fell to their lowest levels in decades. President Clinton signed a historic bill |
|scaling back welfare. Americans realized that Social Security won’t provide social security for any of us. |
| |
|A less visible but equally significant trend affected pensions. To make costs easier to control, companies moved away from defined|
|benefit pension plans, which obligate them to pay out specified amounts years in the future, to define contribution plans, which |
|specify only how much goes into the play today. The most common type of defined-contribution plan is the 401(k). The significance |
|of the 401(k) is that it puts most of the responsibility for a person’s economic fate back on the employee. Within limits the |
|employee must decide how much goes into the plan each year and how it gets invested－the two factors that will determine how much |
|it’s worth when the employee retires. |
| |
|Which brings us back to Enron? Those billions of dollars in vaporized retirement savings went in employees’ 401(k) accounts. That |
|is, the employees chose how much money to put into those accounts and then chose how to invest it. Enron matched a certain |
|proportion of each employee’s 401(k) contribution with company stock, so everyone was going to end up with some Enron in his or |
|her portfolio; but that could be regarded as a freebie, since nothing compels a company to match employee contributions at all. At|
|least two special features complicate the Enron case. First, some shareholders charge top management with illegally covering up |
|the company’s problems, prompting investors to hang on when they should have sold. Second, Enron’s 401(k) accounts were locked |
|while the company changed plan administrators in October, when the stock was falling, so employees could not have closed their |
|accounts if they wanted to. |
| |
|But by far the largest cause of this human tragedy is that thousands of employees were heavily overweighed in Enron stock. Many |
|had placed 100% of their 401(k) assets in the stock rather than in the 18 other investment options they were offered. Of course |
|that wasn’t prudent, but it’s what some of them did. |
| |
|The Enron employees’ retirement disaster is part of the larger trend away from guaranteed economic security. That’s why preventing|
|such a thing from ever happening again may be impossible. The huge attitudinal shift to “I’ll-be-taken-care-of” took at least a |
|generation. The shift back may take just as long. It won’t be complete until a new generation of employees see assured economic |
|comfort as a 20th- century quirk, and understand not just intellectually but in their bones that, like most people in most times |
|and places, they’re on their own. |
| |
|31. Why does the author say at the beginning “The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history…”? |
|A. Because the company has gone bankrupt. |
|B. Because such events would never happen again. |
|C. Because many Enron workers lost jobs. |
|D. Because it signifies a turning point in economic security. |
| |
|32. According to the passage, the combined efforts by governments, layout unions and big corporations to guarantee economic |
|comfort have led to a significant change in |
|A. people’s outlook on life. B. people’s life styles. |
|C. people’s living standard D. people’s social values. |
| |
|33. Garanttee on economic security declined in 1980-1990 because ________. |
|A. the corporate laid off large number of employees |
|B. the government cut in welfare spending |
|C. the economic restructuring occurred as American lost its competitiveness globally |
|D. the power of labors unions declined |
| |
|34. Thousands of employees chose Enron to invest mainly because |
|A. The 401(k) made them responsible for their own future. |
|B. Enron offered to add company stock to their investment. |
|C. their employers intended to cut back on pension spending. |
|D. Enron’s offer was similar to a defined-benefit plan. |
| |
|35. Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster? |
|A. 401(k) assets should be placed in more than one investment option. |
|B. Employees have to take up responsibilities for themselves. |
|C. Such events could happen again as it is not easy to change people’s mind. |
|D. Economic security won’t be taken for granted by future |
| |
|36. What has made economic security possible and change people’s attitude towards life in 19th century? |
| |
|Passage 2 |
| |
|The majority of successful senior managers do not closely follow the classical rational model of first clarifying goals, assessing|
|the problem, formulating options, estimating likelihoods of success, making a decision, and only then taking action to implement |
|the decision. Rather, in their day-by-day tactical maneuvers, these senior executives rely on what is vaguely termed intuition to |
|manage a network of interrelated problems that require them to deal with ambiguity, inconsistency, novelty, and surprise and to |
|integrate action into the process of thinking. |
| |
|Generations of writers on management have recognized that some practicing managers rely heavily on intuition. In general, however,|
|such writers display a poor grasp of what intuition is. Some see it as the opposite of rationality; others view it as an excuse |
|for capriciousness. |
| |
|Isenberg’s recent research on the cognitive processes of senior managers reveals that managers’ intuition is neither of these. |
|Rather, senior managers use intuition in at least five distinct ways. First, they intuitively sense when a problem exists. Second,|
|managers rely on intuition to perform well-learned behavior patterns rapidly. This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational, but |
|is based on years of painstaking practice and hands-on experience that build skills. A third function of intuition is to |
|synthesize isolated bits of data and practice into an integrated picture, often in an “Aha” experience. Fourth, some managers use |
|intuition as a check on the results of more rational analysis. Most senior executives are familiar with the formal decision |
|analysis models and tools, and those who use such systematic methods for reaching decisions are occasionally leery of solutions |
|suggested by these methods which run counter to their sense of the correct course of action. Finally, managers can use intuition |
|to bypass in-depth analysis and move rapidly to engender a plausible solution. Used in this way, intuition is an almost |
|instantaneous cognitive process in which a manager recognizes familiar patterns. |
| |
|One of the implications of the intuitive style of executive management is that thinking is inseparable from acting. Since managers|
|often know what is right before they can analyze and explain it, they frequently act first and explain later. Analysis is |
|inextricably tied to action in thinking/acting cycles, in which managers develop thoughts about their companies and organizations |
|not by analyzing a problematic situation and then acting, but by acting and analyzing in close concert. |
| |
|Given the great uncertainty of many of the management issues that they face, senior managers often instigate a course of action |
|simply to learn more about an issue. They then use the results of the action to develop a more complete understanding of the |
|issue. One implication of thinking/acting cycles is that action is often part of defining the problem, not just of implementing |
|the solution. |
| |
|37. The text suggests which of the following about the writers on management mentioned in line 1, paragraph 2？ |
| A. They have criticized managers for not following the classical rational model of decision analysis. |
| B. They have not based their analyses on a sufficiently large sample of actual managers. |
| C. They have relied in drawing their conclusions on what managers say rather than on what managers do. |
|D. They have misunderstood how managers use intuition in making business decisions. |
| |
|38. According to the text, senior managers use intuition in all of the following ways EXCEPT to |
| A. Speed up of the creation of a solution to a problem. |
| B. Identify a problem. |
| C. Bring together disparate facts. |
|D. Stipulate clear goals. |
| |
|39. It can be inferred from the text that which of the following would most probably be one major difference in behavior between |
|Manager X, who uses intuition to reach decisions, and Manager Y, who uses only formal decision analysis？ |
| A. Manager X analyzes first and then acts；Manager Y does not. |
| B. Manager X checks possible solutions to a problem by systematic analysis； Manager Y does not. |
| C. Manager X takes action first and then explains later in solving a problem；Manager Y does not. |
| D. Manager Y draws on years of hands-on experience in creating a solution to a problem； Manager X does not. |
| |
|40. The text provides support for which of the following statements？ |
|A. Managers who rely on intuition are more successful than those who rely on formal decision analysis. |
|B. Managers cannot justify their intuitive decisions. |
|C. Managers’ intuition works contrary to their rational and analytical skills. |
|D. Intuition enables managers to employ their practical experience more efficiently. |
| |
|41. What is the author’s attitude towards using institution in management? |
|A. It is arbitrary and irrational. |
|B. It deters the effective implementation of the work. |
|C. It improves the efficiency of the work. |
|D. It is better than analyzing the issue thoroughly first and then acting. |
| |
|42. Why does the author say “thinking is inseparable from acting in the intuitive style of executive management”? |
| |
|Passage 3 |
| |
|Joy and sadness are experienced by people in all cultures around the world, but how can we tell when other people are happy or |
|despondent? It turns out that the expression of many emotions may be universal. Smiling is apparently a universal sign of |
|friendliness and approval. Baring the teeth in a hostile way, as noted by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century, may be a |
|universe sign of anger. As the originator of the theory of evolution, Darwin believed that the universal recognition of facial |
|expressions would have survival value. For example, facial expressions could signal the approach of enemies (or friends) in the |
|absence of language. |
| |
|Most investigators concur that certain facial expressions suggest the same emotions in a people. Moreover, people in diverse |
|cultures recognize the emotions manifested by the facial expressions. In classic research Paul Ekman took photographs of people |
|exhibiting the emotions of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness. He then asked people around the world to indicate what |
|emotions were being depicted in them. Those queried ranged from European college students to members of the Fore, a tribe that |
|dwells in the New Guinea highlands. All groups including the Fore, who had almost no contact with Western culture, agreed on the |
|portrayed emotions. The Fore also displayed familiar facial expressions when asked how they would respond if they were the |
|characters in stories that called for basic emotional responses. Ekman and his colleagues more recently obtained similar results |
|in a study of ten cultures in which participants were permitted to report that multiple emotions were shown by facial expressions.|
|The participants generally agreed on which two emotions were being shown and which emotion was more intense. |
| |
|Psychological researchers generally recognize that facial expressions reflect emotional states. In fact, various emotional states |
|give rise to certain patterns of electrical activity in the facial muscles and in the brain. The facial-feedback hypothesis |
|argues, however, that the causal relationship between emotions and facial expressions can also work in the opposite direction. |
|According to this hypothesis, signals from the facial muscles ("feedback") are sent back to emotion centers of the brain, and so a|
|person's facial expression can influence that person's emotional state. Consider Darwin's words: "The free expression by outward |
|signs of an emotion intensifies it. On the other hand, the repression, as far as possible, of all outward signs softens our |
|emotions." Can smiling give rise to feelings of good will, for example, and frowning to anger? |
| |
|Psychological research has given rise to some interesting findings concerning the facial-feedback hypothesis. Causing participants|
|in experiments to smile, for example, leads them to report more positive feelings and to rate cartoons (humorous drawings of |
|people or situations) as being more humorous. When they are caused to frown, they rate cartoons as being more aggressive. |
| |
|What are the possible links between facial expressions and emotion? One link is arousal, which is the level of activity or |
|preparedness for activity in an organism. Intense contraction of facial muscles, such as those used in signifying fear, heightens |
|arousal. Self-perception of heightened arousal then leads to heightened emotional activity. Other links may involve changes in |
|brain temperature and the release of neurotransmitters (substances that transmit nerve impulses.) The contraction of facial |
|muscles both influences the internal emotional state and reflects it. Ekman has found that the so-called Duchenne smile, which is |
|characterized by "crow's feet" wrinkles around the eyes and a subtle drop in the eye cover fold so that the skin above the eye |
|moves down slightly toward the eyeball, can lead to pleasant feelings. |
| |
|Ekman's observation may be relevant to the British expression "keep a stiff upper lip" as are commendation for handling stress. It|
|might be that a "stiff" lip suppresses emotional response-as long as the lip is not quivering with fear or tension. But when the |
|emotion that leads to stiffening the lip is more intense, and involves strong muscle tension, facial feedback may heighten |
|emotional response. |
| |
|43. The word despondent in the passage is closest in meaning to _______. |
|A. curious B. depressed C. thoughtful D. aggressive |
| |
|44. The author mentions "Baring the teeth in a hostile way" in order to________. |
|A. differentiate different meanings of a particular facial expression |
|B. support Darwin's theory of evolution |
|C. provide an example of a facial expression whose meaning is widely understood |
|D. contrast a facial expression that is easily understood with other facial expressions |
| |
|45. Which of the following statement CAN NOT prove the universality of facial expressions? |
|A. People use the same facial expressions when smiling. |
|B. People from other cultures can easily recognize the facial expressions with similar meaning. |
|C. Some expressions are more intense in one culture than in the other. |
|D. People have similar response to the same story. |
| |
|46. According to paragraph 2, which of the following was true of the Fore people of New Guinea? |
|A. They were confused at the emotion shown in photographs. |
|B. They were famous for their story-telling skills. |
|C. They knew very little about Western culture. |
|D. They did not encourage the expression of emotions. |
| |
|47. According to the passage, what did Darwin believe would happen to human emotions that were not expressed? |
|A. They would become less intense. B. They would last longer than usual. |
|C. They would cause problems later. D. They would become more negative. |
| |
|48. Explain “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it. On the other hand, the repression, of all outward |
|signs softens our emotions."” based on “facial-feedback hypothesis”. |
| |
|Passage 4 |
| |
|No one can be a great thinker who does not realize that as a thinker it is her first duty to follow her intellect to whatever |
|conclusions it may lead. Truth gains more even by the errors of one who with due study and preparation, thinks for himself, than |
|by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think. No that it is solely, of chiefly,|
|to form great thinkers that freedom of thinking is required. One the contrary, it is as much or even more indispensable to enable |
|average human beings to attain the mental stature which they are capable of. There have been and many again be great individual |
|thinkers in a general atmosphere of mental slavery. But there never has been, nor ever will be, in that atmosphere an |
|intellectually active people. |
| |
|Where any of heterodox speculation was for a time suspended, where there is a tacit convention that principles are not to be |
|disputed: where the discussion of the greatest questions which can occupy humanity is considered to be closed, we cannot hope to |
|find that generally high scale of mental activity which has made some periods of history so remarkable. Never when controversy |
|avoided the subjects which are large and important enough to kindle enthusiasm was the mind of a people stirred up fro9m its |
|foundation and the impulse given which raised even persons of the most ordinary intellect to something of the dignity of thinking |
|beings. |
| |
|She who knows only her own side of the case knows little of that. Her reasons may be food, and no one may have been able to refute|
|them. But if she is equally unable to refute the reasons of the opposite side; if she does not so much as know what they are, she |
|has no ground for preferring either opinion. The rational position for her would be suspension of judgment, and unless she |
|contents herself with that, she is either led by authority, or adopts, like the generality of the world the side to which she |
|feels the most inclination. Nor is it enough that she should heat the arguments of adversaries from her own teachers, presented as|
|they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. |
| |
|That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into real contact with her own mind. She must be able to hear |
|them form persons who actually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do their very utmost for them. She must know them in |
|their most plausible and persuasive form; she must feel the whole force of the difficulty which the true view of the subject has |
|to encounter and dispose of; else she will never really possess herself of the portion of truth which meets and removes that |
|difficulty. Ninety-nine in a hundred of what are called educated persons are in this condition; even of those who can argue |
|fluently for their opinions. Their conclusion may be true, but it might be false for anything they know; they have never thrown |
|themselves into the mental position of those who think differently from them and considered what such persons may have to say; and|
|consequently they do not, in any proper sense of the word, know the doctrines which they themselves profess. |
| |
|49. The best title for this passage is ___________ |
| A. The Age of Reason B. The Need for Independent Thinking |
| C. The Value of Reason D. Stirring People’s Minds |
| |
|50. According to the author, it is always advisable to ___________ |
| A. have opinions which cannot be refuted. |
| B. adopt the point of view to which one feels the most inclination. |
| C. be acquainted with the arguments favoring the point of view with which one disagrees, |
| D. suspend heterodox speculation in favor of doctrinaire approaches. |
| |
|51. According to the author, in a great period such as the Renaissance we may expect to find _______ |
| A. acceptance of truth B. controversy over principles |
| C. inordinate enthusiasm D. a dread of heterodox speculation |
| |
|52. According to the author, the person who holds orthodox beliefs without examination may be described in all of the following |
|ways EXCEPT as ___________ |
| A. enslaved by tradition B. less than fully rational |
| C. determined on controversy D. having a closed mind |
| |
|53. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements |
|___________ |
| A. A truly great thinker makes no mistakes. |
| B. Periods of intellectual achievement are periods of unorthodox reflection, |
| C. The refutation of accepted ideas can best be provided by one’s own teachers. |
| D. excessive controversy prevents clear thinking |
| |
|54. What is one's rational position if she is confusing about her attitude according to the passage? |
| |
|Passage 5 |
| |
|Once upon a time, the emblematic jazz singer was an African-American woman, serenading a smoke-filled room. Think Billie Holliday |
|and Ella Fitzgerald. Today, a talented crop of cosmopolitan young singers are creating a new breed of jazz vocalist: the |
|globalized chanteuse. They come from multicultural backgrounds, live all over the world, and are infusing the traditional American|
|sound with new energy. Take today’s rising star, 26-year-old Sophie Milman. Bom in Russia, she fled with her family to Israel at |
|the age of 7, then settled in Canada at 16. Now she sells out the Blue Note jazz club in Tokyo. Her roots and her reach are |
|global. In looks and language, she couldn't be further from the pioneers who came more than a half century before. |
| |
|Yet Milman and others like her are redefining jazz by drawing on the American songbook. In his book The Jazz Singers, Scott Yanow |
|argues that among 21st-century jazz vocalists, only "a few manage to reinvent standards in new ways," which is exactly what this |
|new class is doing so well. Milman — who is fluent in French, English, Russian, and Hebrew — sings Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” |
|in a clear, valiant alto that booms down low and reaches effortlessly up high. Elisabeth Kontomanou, who is Greek and Guinean, |
|insists on knowing the African-American roots of the music she plays. “Jazz is innovation, but with all the culture and the |
|understanding of what has already been done,” she says. “If you don’t look at that, you get a tasteless, odorless, and colorless |
|music.” On her last CD, Brewin’ the Blues, she follows her own rules by revisiting less famous songs by jazz icons, such as Billie|
|Holiday’s "Tell Me More and More (and Then Some)”. |
| |
|Language has proved no barrier to these women; all sing in English. Virginie Teychene comes from the south of France but learned |
|English with her father, who used to show American Marines the French way of life. French doesn't lend itself to jazz,” she says. |
|“Words can often fall flat, as it is hard to sing in French on rhythm.” Teychene, who was named a “new revelation” at France’s |
|Juan-les-Pins jazz festival last year, covers songs like “Take the A Train” in her pure, low voice. Bom and raised in Turin, the |
|Italian chanteuse Roberta Gambarini recorded Swedish folk songs early in her career but has lately turned to the romantic era of |
|American jazz. Her new record, So in Love, revolves around sweet renditions of tunes like “That Old Black Magic” — a song Sarah |
|Vaughan made famous in the 40s. The bulk of good songs that allow you to improvise happen to largely be part of the Great American|
|Songbook," she says. |
| |
|That’s not to say that these vocalists aren't pushing boundaries. Esperanza Spalding, who was born to a Welsh—Hispanic—Native |
|American mother and a black father and raised in the States, sings in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. When recording the 1930s |
|standard “Body and Soul”, she renamed it “Cuerpo y Alma", and pulled off a fiery Spanish rendition. “You always create something |
|new even when you use vocabulary from the past," she says. |
| |
|Ultimately, this return to the roots of jazz has to do with authenticity and accessibility. "I like when people come see me at the|
|end of a concert, surprised that this is actually jazz and that they can enjoy it without really knowing the culture," says |
|Teychene. Yet if asked where the winding road of fame starts, these singers give a traditional answer. "If you live deep in the |
|heart of China and you want to be a jazz musician, you still have to go to New York or New Orleans and play jazz," says |
|Kontomanou. Then you move to another country and share it with the world. |
| |
|55. Which of the following is true about Sophie Milman? |
|A. She has multicultural backgrounds. |
|B. She is an emblematic jazz singer. |
|C. She loves the music of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. |
|D. She creates the new jazz music. |
| |
|56. What do the new jazz singers have in common? |
|A. They all come from Europe. |
|B. They resemble the pioneers of jazz music in looks and language. |
|C. They all bring something new to jazz music. |
|D. They don't like sing in languages other than English. |
| |
|57. It can be inferred that Scott Yanow’s attitude towards the new jazz singers is |
|A. critical B. positive C. neutral D. negative |
| |
|58. What does the author mean by saying that those new jazz singers are “ pushing boundaries，，(Paragraph 4)? |
|A. They sometimes don t stick to the traditional rendering of jazz music. |
|B. They do not always sing in English. |
|C. They like to try different musical instrument when playing jazz. |
|D. They would prefer to sing songs all created by themselves. |
| |
|59. According to the last paragraph, those popular new jazz singers attribute their success to _____. |
|A. early exposure to American jazz culture |
|B. good command of English language |
|C. innovation and originality |
|D. travelling around world |
| |
|60. What are the present features of the jazz relating to the main idea the passage conveys? |
| |
|Passage 6 |
| |
|Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes us from animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears to |
|be utterly devoid of humor, we enjoy this supreme luxury. And it is a luxury, for unlike any other bodily process, laughter does |
|not seem to serve a biologically useful purpose. In a divide world, laughter is a unifying force. Human beings oppose each other |
|on a great many issues. Nations may disagree about systems of government and human relations may be plagued by ideological |
|factions and political camps, but we all share the ability to laugh. And laughter, in turn, depends on that most complex and |
|subtle of all human qualities: a sense of humor Certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal. This can best be seen from the |
|world-wide popularity of Charlie Chaplin’s early films. The little man at odds with society never fails to amuse no matter which |
|country we come from. As that great commentator on human affairs, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once remarked, ‘Men have been wise in very |
|different modes; but they have always laughed in the same way.’ |
| |
|A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from a refined tingle to an earth-quaking roar, but the |
|effect is always the same. Humor helps us to maintain a correct sense of values. It is the one quality which political fanatics |
|appear to lack. If we can see the funny side, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously. We are always reminded |
|that tragedy is not really far removed from comedy, so we never get a lopsided view of things. |
| |
|This is one of the chief functions of satire and irony. Human pain and suffering are so grim; we hover so often on the brink of |
|war; political realities are usually enough to plunge us into total despair. In such circumstances, cartoons and satirical |
|accounts of somber political events redress the balance. They take the wind out of pompous and arrogant politicians who have lost |
|their sense of proportion. They enable us to see that many of our most profound actions are merely comic or absurd. We laugh when |
|a great satirist like Swift writes about war in Gulliver’s Travels. The Lilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because|
|they can’t agree which end to break an egg. We laugh because we meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too. It is too powerful a|
|weapon to be allowed to flourish. |
| |
|The sense of humor must be singled out as man’s most important quality because it is associated with laughter. And laughter, in |
|turn, is associated with happiness. Courage, determination, initiative – these are qualities we share with other forms of life. |
|But the sense of humor is uniquely human. If happiness is one of the great goals of life, then it is the sense of humor that |
|provides the key. |
| |
|61. The most important of all human qualities is ___________ |
| A. a sense of humor. B. A sense of satire. |
| C. A sense of laughter. D. A sense of history. |
| |
|62. The author mentions about Charlie Chaplin’s early films because ___________ |
| A. they can amuse people. |
| B. Human beings are different from animals. |
| C. They show that certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal. |
| D. They show that people have the same ability to laugh. |
| |
|63. One of the chief functions of irony and satire is ___________ |
| A. to show absurdity of actions. B. to redress balance. |
| C. to take the wind out of politicians. D. to show too much grimness in the world. |
| |
|64. What do we learn from the sentence ‘it is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish in totalitarian regimes?’ |
| A. It can reveal the truth of political events with satire. |
| B. It can arouse people to riot. |
| C. It shows tragedy and comedy are related. |
| D. It can make people laugh. |
| |
|65. Who is Swift? |
| A. A novelist. B. A poet. C. A dramatist. D. A essayist. |
| |
|III. Writing (30%) |
|Directions: In this part you are going to write an essay of about 400-500 words within 60 minutes on the following topic. Write |
|your essay on the Answer Sheet. |
| |
|Would you like to live in a big city or small town? A survey with 2,004 respondents has revealed only 35.5 percent of those |
|surveyed prefer to live in big cities, and 61.3 percent prefer low-pressure and a more comfortable life in small cities, according|
|to China Youth Daily on Tuesday. |
| |
|Where would you prefer to live? Please develop your point of view into a 400-500 words article. |
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